CABA Information Series

IS-2003-25: Disconnected: Consumers and the Mobile Phone Industry

John Barrett of Parks Associates writes that despite an investment of tens of billions of dollars in mobile phone services and equipment, the average revenue per customer is not growing. He concludes that the industry has not presented the technologies to consumers in a meaningful, attractive package. Instead they have offered unwieldy products that provide ill-defined services at an uncertain price. In short, it is no surprise consumers are not buying.